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Design and Validation of a Career Talent Development Model for Undergraduate Educational Sciences Students Based on Professional Empowerment
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Somayeh Nasirzadeh *   , Esmaeil Rahimi |
| Institute for Research and Planning in Higher Education |
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Abstract: (26 Views) |
| Developing students’ career talents plays an important role in enhancing professional empowerment and preparing students for entry into the labor market. Accordingly, this study aimed to design and validate a model for developing the career talents of undergraduate students majoring in Educational Sciences, with an emphasis on professional empowerment. In terms of purpose, the study was applied-developmental, and methodologically, it employed a sequential exploratory mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 experts in higher education, faculty members, graduates, and labor-market specialists who were selected purposively using snowball sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in the identification of the dimensions, components, and indicators of the career talent development model. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-made questionnaire based on the qualitative findings was developed, and the proposed model was validated using data obtained from a sample of 90 participants through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The credibility of the qualitative findings was established through member checking and data triangulation. In the quantitative phase, face and content validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and construct reliability were assessed and confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha, Composite Reliability (CR), and Rho_A. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the constructs ranged from 0.75 to 0.94. The findings indicated that the career talent development model comprised nine main dimensions: individual and psychological factors; skills; lived experiences; structural and institutional factors; educational and programmatic factors; experiential learning programs; challenges and limitations of career talent development; outcomes of talent development and professional empowerment; and strategies for career talent development and professional empowerment. Furthermore, the results of structural equation modeling indicated that the proposed model demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability, and that the structural relationships in the model were statistically significant at the 0.05 level, except for the path related to macro-level policies and structures. Overall, the proposed model demonstrated acceptable conceptual and empirical validity and can serve as a framework for analyzing and designing programs aimed at developing career talents and enhancing the professional empowerment of Educational Sciences students in higher educatio |
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| Keywords: Talent Management, Talent Development, Career Empowerment |
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
managing education in higher education
Received: 2026/01/28 | Accepted: 2026/05/16
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